Hard Times
by moonfleur
Summary: AU, Natalia got so caught up in Ivan's world that she landed herself in court ordered rehab for her excessive alcohol and drug use. There she meets Alfred, another patient there for self-injury after his parent's divorce and his brother leaving home.


A/N This idea randomly occurred to me...so it is probably very strange.

Pairing: America/Belarus

Plot: AU, Natalia got so caught up in Ivan's world that she landed herself in court ordered rehab for her excessive alcohol and drug use. There she meets Alfred, another patient there for self-injury after his parent's divorce and his brother leaving home.

~~!~~!~~

Natalia Arlovskaya never meant for any of this to happen to her. She never meant to be involved in any of Ivan's shit. She never meant to become an alcoholic and cocaine addict. It just happened.

For Natalia, everything was a rapid rollercoaster of highs so unimaginably high and lows so far down in hell. Everything worked back with Ivan, her brother. She was vulnerable after Katayusha left and her parents had died. She just followed Ivan.

The turning point, the reason for everything, was when Ivan joined the mafia and Natalia followed. Her world spun out of control in violence and drug addiction. She was just so lost, scared, alone. Her world was some old black and white movie where she couldn't talk and everybody else was part of the modern world. Natalia, unable to fight back just joined in. She discovered how much better she felt when she was drunk or high. She loved the black, blissful numbness that enveloped her.

The first time she got high was the best experience of her life. Everything was fine until her first low point. When under the influence, she nearly jumped off the top of a building, convinced she could fly.

Suddenly, the low points were more and more often. Every high brought a new low and suddenly she was in court for attempted murder. They put her into rehab when they found out about her extensive drug and alcohol use.

So Natalia was escorted into the institution by a kind and cheerful policeman.

"Hola, senorita~ I'm here to escort you today." The Spanish policeman said as he approached her cell.

Natalia glared at him but approached the door as she waited for it to be unlocked.

"I have to take you to your home so you can get some things, si?"

Natalia nodded.

"Oh and I'm Antonio!"

Natalia didn't respond.

He escorted her into his police car and drove her to her house. He followed her in and watched as she packed her clothes. He made sure she only brought clothes and a few other things.

When she was done they got back into the car and drove to the rehabilitation center.

The car ride was awkward to say the least. Natalia stared out the window, wondering how her life had come to this and Antonio blathered on about some guy named Lovino who he was obviously in love with.

"Just shut up, Dammit!" Natalia hissed angrily after Antonio had blathered on for at least a half hour.

He grinned (which the Belarusian found strange). "Okay~" he chirped, still smiling.

They finally arrived at The Hetalia Institute of Rehabilitation around an hour and a half away from Natalia.

The Spanish policeman grabbed her bag and escorted her in. They checked her in.

The woman from behind the counter comes around and talks to the policeman. She noded as Officer Antonio talked to her.

Antonio handed Natalia her bag and left, waving goodbye to her.

"Hello Natalia, my name is Emilie." the nurse said to Natalia as they walked.

Emilie was of medium height with glasses and a long blonde side braid.

Natalia nodded and stared at her own feet with her battered old ballet flats.

"So you are here for alcohol and drug problems, so you would stay in the wing here."

Natalia nodded.

"This is your room, treatment will start tomorrow. Today will just be for you to acclimate to the facilities. You'll get a tour from..." she paused and looked at her clipboard, "Alfred Jones. He'll be here in a half hour so you can unpack."

Natalia nodded. She opened the door of her room and collapsed on the bed.

The room was rather small but well lit with a queen sized bed, dresser with a mirror, and a closet.

Natalia got up and started unpacking as she tried to hold in tears. She decided to give it up and collapsed on her bed, sobbing silently. She heard a soft knock on the door.

She didn't respond.

The person knocked louder. "Hello, is this Natalia's room? It's Alfred, I'm here for your tour."

Natalia sat up. "One second!" she yelled. She gently dried her face on her sleeves and looked in the mirror. It didn't look like she was crying so she opened the door.

When she opened the door she saw a tall blonde man with blue eyes smiling at her softly. She looked up into his eyes that she expected to be happy and warm because of his smile but she was shocked to see such sorrow filling them.

"Are you okay?" he asked her. "It kinda looks like you've been crying.."

"I'm fine." Natalia quickly told him, cursing her slightly swollen eyes.

"I'm Alfred, your hero! I'll show you around this place!"

Natalia was once again shocked by the young man because of his outgoing attitude that clashed with the sorrow filling his eyes.

"Hello...I am Natalia.." she told the tall American. She found his outgoing behavior obnoxious yet curious at the same time.

"So this is the drug addiction wing." He tells her as they start to walk. "Every room here is occupied by people with a drug addiction, obviously."

Natalia rolls her eyes. "Obviously.."

They walk down the main hallway connecting the wings. "This is the alcohol addiction wing." He says as they pause in front of the wing next to Natalia's.

"They're pretty much nice people but they can get a little irritable, just like a lot of the people in your wing will be."

Natalia nodded as she stared down the bright hallway, lined with doors. Each door was different with posters and white boards.

"C'mon, the next wing is mine!" Alfred rushed her along.

Natalia walked along with the seemingly excited American.

"This is the self-injury wing." Alfred told her.

Natalia was surprised again. Alfred? Self-injury?

She saw him fiddling with his long sleeved shirt as if trying to hide his arms even more.

The hall was also brightly lit but the posters and whiteboards on the door were considerably more depressing.

"So you're in this wing..." Natalia said awkwardly.

"Um yeah...My room is the third on the left." He told her.

His room was the most cheerful there. It had a whiteboard with a picture of a hero holding a burger. Except for the rain cloud which made the whole thing kinda depressing.

"Most of the people in this wing aren't really enjoyable company but some people are pretty cool, like me!"

Natalia rolled her eyes.

They continued walking to the next wing.

Alfred blushed slightly when they reached it. "Thisisthesexaddictionwing." he said quickly and quietly.

Natalia cocked her head. "The what?"

"The sex addiction wing."

She blushed. "Ahh..."

"We should be go-" Alfred started when a blonde man walked out of the door.

"Bonjour Alfred! Who is this enticing young lady here?" The man asked, approaching the pair.

"Natalia, this is Francis, Francis this is Natalia. Sorry we can't talk much, Francis. I have to show her around."

"Ah. Au revoir!"

They quickly walked up the hall.

"Most of the people there are nice but be careful of Francis. He doesn't care about getting better, his parents told him if he didn't go that he wouldn't get his inheritance."

"I'll try to stay away."

Normally Natalia would completely disregard anybody's instructions but Ivan's, but this whole situation left her defeated. She also saw the defeat in Alfred and everybody else here.

They finally got to the common area at the end of the hall. There were a few couches, a T.V., and some tables set up.

"This is just where everybody goes when we're not eating, sleeping, or in treatment. Of course 'cept for the few people that are anti-social."

"So is this the end of the tour?"

"'COURSE NOT!" Alfred yelled, startling the people nearby who turned to glare at him. "This is just the beginning! I need to show you the dining hall, all the cool people, and all of my secret hide outs!"

"Fun.." Natalia said sarcastically and sullenly.

"I know, right!" Alfred said enthusiastically, her sarcasm lost on him.

She rolled her eyes.

"LET'S GO!" He said and he grabbed her hand, leading her off to the unknown.

~~.~~.~~.~~.~~.~~

A.N. Okay first off I have **no** idea how rehab works. Just saying. So if you do and I'm messing everything up, please do tell me!


End file.
